Crashlanding in Madinah that hurt 29 under probe

January 6, 2014

Madinah, Jan 6: Twenty-nine passengers were injured when a Saudia flight suffered a landing gear failure and was forced to make an emergency landing in Madinah early Sunday, aviation officials said.

Flight SV2841, coming from the Iranian city of Mashhad, had 315 passengers on board, including 16 crew members.

The captain alerted the air traffic control tower after being unable to open the rear right-side landing gear. The pilot managed to land the plane after two unsuccessful attempts, said one eyewitness.

Khaled Al-Khaibari, a spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation, told Arab News: “The rented Boeing 767 flight arriving from Mashhad to Madinah had developed a technical problem in the rear wheel on the aircraft’s right side, which led to the pilot having to land without the right wheels of the rear gear.”

Airport authorities cleared the runway for immediate landing and declared a state of emergency.

The injuries happened during a stampede as passengers scrambled to evacuate the plane, Khaibari said. Eighteen passengers who sustained minor injuries were treated at the airport, while 11 were taken to hospital, he said. He said a probe has been ordered into the incident, which occurred at around 4:14 a.m.

The airport was closed for 24 hours following the incident.

“Saudia expresses its deep sorrow to all the injured passengers ... and prays to ... the Almighty that He may provide them with a speedy recovery,” the airline said.

Ghulam Rezai, head of the Iranian Haj Organization in the Kingdom, thanked the Saudi government for the good care given to the injured pilgrims. “All the injured pilgrims except four have left hospital while the condition of four is stable,” said Mohammed Al-Bejawi, director of the Haj Ministry’s office in Madinah.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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